Here and Now with Francis 2/3/16 (Jesus, encounter, wonder, grace, Christianity)
From the homily
Jesus is the novelty and the fulfillment: He presents Himself to us as the endless surprise of God. In this Child, born for all, the past — made of memory and promise –, and the future — full of hope come together. [...] The vocation, in fact, does not take the movements of a plan of ours thought “at table,” but from a grace of the Lord who reaches us through an encounter that changes our life. He is the novelty that makes all things new. One who lives this encounter becomes a witness and makes possible the encounter for others; and makes him also a promoter of the culture of encounter, avoiding self-reference that makes us remain closed in ourselves. [...] Our Founders were moved by the Spirit and were not afraid to soil their hands in daily life, with the people’s problems, going with courage to the geographic and existential fringes. They did not stop in face of obstacles and the incomprehension of others, because they kept in their heart the wonder of the encounter with Christ. They did not domesticate the grace of the Gospel. They always had in their heart a healthy restlessness for the Lord, a consuming desire to take Him to others, as Mary and Joseph did in the Temple. Today we too are called to make prophetic and courageous choices. [full text]
